Aparna Kumar, IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, on 17 January 2016 became India’s first civil servant to scale Mount Vinson Massif, the highest peak in the Antarctica.

She hoisted the Tricolour and the flag of the Uttar Pradesh Police Service on Mount Vinson Massif.

She set out on the Antarctic expedition on 5 January 2016, accompanied by a 10-member team of mountaineers from various countries.

About Aparna Kumar
• Aparna is currently posted as DIG telecom in Lucknow.
• She has till now scaled 5 of the 7 summits considered the most challenging for mountaineers in the world.
• She scaled Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in August 2014, the highest peak in Africa.
• In November 2015, she climbed the Carstensz Pyramid peak in West Papuan province of Indonesia, the highest peak in Australia and Oceania region.
• In March 2015, she was conferred the Rani Lakshmi Bai Puraskar by UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for her achievements and for being a role model to women.